ADULTS in the UK have sex on average 149 times a year, according to a poll published yesterday.

The number of times couples slip between the sheets - which works out at just under 2.9 times a week - makes the UK the fifth most amorous nation of of 22 surveyed.

The most lovestruck are the French who apparently have sex 167 times a year, followed by the Dutch (158), the Danes (152) and Canadians (150).

The Global Sex Survey was compiled by condom-maker Durex using questionnaire answers from 50,000 people - 3,500 in the UK - through its websites worldwide.

Americans are more reserved than the British when it comes to sex, with the average adult claiming to make love 138 times a year, according to the poll, followed by New Zealanders (135), and the Spanish (121).

Bottom of the list of 22 nations was Singapore where adults say they had sex 110 times a year.

Just under three-quarters of Britons fantasise about having sex with a celebrity, with American actor Brad Pitt topping the list for women at 33% and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue the number one celebrity for men with 18% of the votes.

John Flaherty, Durex marketing manager, said, "It's great to hear the Brits are having a fun sex life, but we need to ensure it's a healthy one too."

Other results from the UK showed that 49% of men fantasise about sex with their best friend's partner and 16% of women think about sex with their boss.

On a serious note, 68% thought HIV/Aids was an important problem in the UK although 39% claim to have had unprotected sex with a new partner in the last year.